臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題的由來(lái)

臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題的由來(lái)

臺(tái)灣是中國(guó)領(lǐng)土不可分割的一部分

臺(tái)灣有文字記載的歷史可以追溯到公元三世紀(jì)。公元230年，三國(guó)吳王孫權(quán)派1萬(wàn)多名官兵到達(dá)“夷洲”(臺(tái)灣)，吳人沈瑩《臨海水土志》留下了世界上對(duì)臺(tái)灣最早的記述。隋唐時(shí)期稱臺(tái)灣為“流求”，隋朝曾三次派兵到臺(tái)灣。公元610年開(kāi)始，祖國(guó)大陸沿海居民開(kāi)始遷居澎湖。公元12世紀(jì)中葉，南宋王朝將澎湖劃歸福建泉州晉江縣管轄，并派兵戍守。元朝在澎湖設(shè)巡檢司，進(jìn)行有效管轄。宋元時(shí)期漢人開(kāi)始移居臺(tái)灣島拓墾，明代祖國(guó)大陸沿海移民移居臺(tái)灣島增多，開(kāi)拓規(guī)模越來(lái)越大。16世紀(jì)中后期，明朝恢復(fù)澎湖巡檢司，并增兵駐防。明末，福建地方政府和鄭芝龍集團(tuán)曾大規(guī)模地組織移民赴臺(tái)墾殖。1622年，荷蘭殖民者侵占了臺(tái)灣南部，1624年西班牙殖民者入侵臺(tái)灣北部，1642年荷蘭取代西班牙占領(lǐng)臺(tái)灣北部。1661年，鄭成功率軍進(jìn)取臺(tái)灣，于1662年驅(qū)逐了盤踞臺(tái)灣的荷蘭殖民者，收復(fù)臺(tái)灣。1683年，清政府派兵攻取澎湖，鄭氏集團(tuán)投降，實(shí)現(xiàn)了國(guó)家統(tǒng)一。1684年，清政府設(shè)立臺(tái)灣府，隸屬于福建省，并在臺(tái)灣設(shè)立分巡臺(tái)廈兵備道，統(tǒng)轄臺(tái)灣與廈門兩地守軍。此后，祖國(guó)大陸沿海居民紛紛渡海赴臺(tái)，臺(tái)灣的開(kāi)發(fā)進(jìn)入了一個(gè)新的歷史時(shí)期，1811年，臺(tái)灣人口已達(dá)190余萬(wàn)。1874年，日本以琉球船民被殺為由，染指琉球，出兵臺(tái)灣。清政府遂實(shí)行“開(kāi)山撫番”，招募祖國(guó)大陸移民進(jìn)一步開(kāi)發(fā)建設(shè)臺(tái)灣，鞏固海防，同時(shí)規(guī)定福建巡撫每年冬春駐臺(tái)。1884至1885年中法戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)期間，福建巡撫劉銘傳率領(lǐng)臺(tái)灣軍民擊退了法軍入侵。1885年10月12日，清政府宣布臺(tái)灣建省，成為中國(guó)第20個(gè)行省。首任臺(tái)灣巡撫劉銘傳積極推行自強(qiáng)新政，使臺(tái)灣成為當(dāng)時(shí)中國(guó)最先進(jìn)的省份之一。

1894年日本發(fā)動(dòng)甲午戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，清政府戰(zhàn)敗，被迫于1895年4月簽訂喪權(quán)辱國(guó)的《馬關(guān)條約》，把臺(tái)灣及澎湖列島割讓給日本。日據(jù)初期，臺(tái)灣人民堅(jiān)持武裝斗爭(zhēng)達(dá)20年之久，之后又開(kāi)展非武裝民族反抗運(yùn)動(dòng)。1937年日本發(fā)動(dòng)全面侵華戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，加緊掠奪臺(tái)灣的資源，同時(shí)強(qiáng)制推行“皇民化運(yùn)動(dòng)”，企圖消除臺(tái)灣民眾的中華民族認(rèn)同，遭到臺(tái)灣民眾的強(qiáng)烈抵制和反抗。日本侵占臺(tái)灣50年，臺(tái)灣民眾共有65萬(wàn)人犧牲罹難。臺(tái)灣同胞反抗日本殖民統(tǒng)治的歷史，閃耀著中華民族抵御外侮的偉大精神。

1941年12月太平洋戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)爆發(fā)，12月9日中國(guó)政府發(fā)布《中國(guó)對(duì)日宣戰(zhàn)布告》，鄭重宣布，將收復(fù)臺(tái)灣、澎湖。1943年12月1日中美英三國(guó)政府簽署的《開(kāi)羅宣言》，明確規(guī)定“三國(guó)之宗旨在使日本竊取于中國(guó)之領(lǐng)土，例如滿洲、臺(tái)灣、澎湖群島等，歸還中國(guó)?！?945年7月26日，中美英三國(guó)簽署、后來(lái)又有蘇聯(lián)參加的《波茨坦公告》，再次重申“開(kāi)羅宣言之條件，必將實(shí)施。”1945年8月15日，日本戰(zhàn)敗宣布無(wú)條件投降，10月25日，同盟國(guó)中國(guó)戰(zhàn)區(qū)臺(tái)灣省受降儀式在臺(tái)北舉行，中國(guó)受降官代表中國(guó)政府宣告：“自即日起，臺(tái)灣及澎湖列島已正式重入中國(guó)版圖，所有一切土地、人民、政事皆已置于中國(guó)主權(quán)之下”。為紀(jì)念臺(tái)灣光復(fù)，10月25日被定為臺(tái)灣光復(fù)節(jié)。

臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題的由來(lái)

臺(tái)灣在第二次世界大戰(zhàn)之后，不僅在法律上而且在事實(shí)上已歸還中國(guó)。之所以又出現(xiàn)臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題，與隨后中國(guó)國(guó)民黨發(fā)動(dòng)的反人民內(nèi)戰(zhàn)有關(guān)，但更重要的是外國(guó)勢(shì)力的介入。

臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題與國(guó)民黨發(fā)動(dòng)的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)。中國(guó)抗日戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)期間，在中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨和其他愛(ài)國(guó)力量的推動(dòng)下，中國(guó)國(guó)民黨與中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨建立了抗日民族統(tǒng)一戰(zhàn)線，抗擊日本帝國(guó)主義的侵略。抗日戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)勝利后，兩黨本應(yīng)繼續(xù)攜手，共肩振興中華大業(yè)，惟當(dāng)時(shí)以蔣介石為首的國(guó)民黨集團(tuán)依仗美國(guó)的支持，置全國(guó)人民渴望和平與建設(shè)獨(dú)立、民主、富強(qiáng)的新中國(guó)的強(qiáng)烈愿望于不顧，撕毀國(guó)共兩黨簽訂的《雙十協(xié)定》，發(fā)動(dòng)了全國(guó)規(guī)模的反人民內(nèi)戰(zhàn)。中國(guó)人民在中國(guó)共產(chǎn)黨領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下被迫進(jìn)行了3年多的人民解放戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，由于當(dāng)時(shí)的國(guó)民黨集團(tuán)倒行逆施，已為全國(guó)各族人民所唾棄，中國(guó)人民終于推翻了南京的“中華民國(guó)”政府。1949年10月1日成立了中華人民共和國(guó)，中華人民共和國(guó)政府成為中國(guó)的唯一合法政府。國(guó)民黨集團(tuán)的一部分軍政人員退據(jù)臺(tái)灣。他們?cè)诋?dāng)時(shí)美國(guó)政府的支持下，造成了臺(tái)灣海峽兩岸隔絕的狀態(tài)。

臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題與美國(guó)政府的責(zé)任。第二次世界大戰(zhàn)后，在當(dāng)時(shí)東西方兩大陣營(yíng)對(duì)峙的態(tài)勢(shì)下，美國(guó)政府基于它的所謂全球戰(zhàn)略及維護(hù)本國(guó)利益的考慮，曾經(jīng)不遺余力地出錢、出槍、出人，支持國(guó)民黨集團(tuán)打內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，阻撓中國(guó)人民革命的事業(yè)。然而，美國(guó)政府最終并未達(dá)到它自己所希望達(dá)到的目的。美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)院1949年發(fā)表的《美國(guó)與中國(guó)的關(guān)系》白皮書和艾奇遜國(guó)務(wù)卿給杜魯門總統(tǒng)的信，都不得不承認(rèn)這一點(diǎn)。艾奇遜在他的信中說(shuō)：“中國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)不祥的結(jié)局超出美國(guó)政府控制的能力，這是不幸的事，卻也是無(wú)可避免的”；“這種結(jié)局之所以終于發(fā)生，也并不是因?yàn)槲覀兩僮隽四承┦虑椤＿@是中國(guó)內(nèi)部各種力量的產(chǎn)物，我國(guó)曾經(jīng)設(shè)法去左右這些力量，但是沒(méi)有效果”。

中華人民共和國(guó)誕生以后，當(dāng)時(shí)的美國(guó)政府本來(lái)可以從中國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)的泥潭中拔出來(lái)，但是它沒(méi)有這樣做，而是對(duì)新中國(guó)采取了孤立、遏制的政策，并且在朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)爆發(fā)后武裝干涉純屬中國(guó)內(nèi)政的海峽兩岸關(guān)系。1950年6月27日，美國(guó)總統(tǒng)杜魯門發(fā)表聲明宣布：“我已命令第七艦隊(duì)阻止對(duì)臺(tái)灣的任何攻擊?！泵绹?guó)第七艦隊(duì)侵入了臺(tái)灣海峽，美國(guó)第十三航空隊(duì)進(jìn)駐了臺(tái)灣。1954年12月，美國(guó)又與臺(tái)灣當(dāng)局簽訂了所謂《共同防御條約》，將中國(guó)的臺(tái)灣省置于美國(guó)的“保護(hù)”之下。美國(guó)政府繼續(xù)干預(yù)中國(guó)內(nèi)政的錯(cuò)誤政策，造成了臺(tái)灣海峽地區(qū)長(zhǎng)期的緊張對(duì)峙局勢(shì)，臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題自此亦成為中美兩國(guó)間的重大爭(zhēng)端。

為了緩和臺(tái)灣海峽地區(qū)的緊張局勢(shì)，探尋解決中美兩國(guó)之間爭(zhēng)端的途徑，中國(guó)政府自上世紀(jì)50年代中期起，即開(kāi)始與美國(guó)對(duì)話。1955年8月至1970年2月，中美兩國(guó)共舉行了136次大使級(jí)會(huì)談，但在緩和與消除臺(tái)灣海峽地區(qū)緊張局勢(shì)這個(gè)關(guān)鍵問(wèn)題上，未取得任何進(jìn)展。及至60年代末70年代初，隨著國(guó)際局勢(shì)的發(fā)展變化和新中國(guó)的壯大，美國(guó)開(kāi)始調(diào)整其對(duì)華政策，兩國(guó)關(guān)系逐步出現(xiàn)解凍的形勢(shì)。1971年10月，第二十六屆聯(lián)合國(guó)大會(huì)通過(guò)2758號(hào)決議，恢復(fù)中華人民共和國(guó)在聯(lián)合國(guó)的一切合法權(quán)利，并驅(qū)逐臺(tái)灣當(dāng)局的“代表”。1972年2月，美國(guó)總統(tǒng)尼克松訪問(wèn)中國(guó)，中美雙方在上海發(fā)表了聯(lián)合公報(bào)。公報(bào)稱：“美國(guó)方面聲明：美國(guó)認(rèn)識(shí)到，在臺(tái)灣海峽兩邊的所有中國(guó)人都認(rèn)為只有一個(gè)中國(guó)，臺(tái)灣是中國(guó)的一部分。美國(guó)政府對(duì)這一立場(chǎng)不提出異議”。

1978年12月，美國(guó)政府接受了中國(guó)政府提出的建交三原則，即：美國(guó)與臺(tái)灣當(dāng)局“斷交”、廢除《共同防御條約》以及從臺(tái)灣撤軍。中美兩國(guó)于1979年1月1日正式建立外交關(guān)系。中美建交聯(lián)合公報(bào)聲明：“美利堅(jiān)合眾國(guó)承認(rèn)中華人民共和國(guó)政府是中國(guó)的唯一合法政府。在此范圍內(nèi)，美國(guó)人民將同臺(tái)灣人民保持文化、商務(wù)和其他非官方聯(lián)系”；“美利堅(jiān)合眾國(guó)政府承認(rèn)中國(guó)的立場(chǎng)，即只有一個(gè)中國(guó)，臺(tái)灣是中國(guó)的一部分”。自此，中美關(guān)系實(shí)現(xiàn)正?；?。

但遺憾的是，中美建交不過(guò)三個(gè)月，美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)竟通過(guò)了所謂《與臺(tái)灣關(guān)系法》，并經(jīng)美國(guó)總統(tǒng)簽署生效。這個(gè)《與臺(tái)灣關(guān)系法》，以美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)立法的形式，作出了許多違反中美建交公報(bào)和國(guó)際法原則的規(guī)定，嚴(yán)重?fù)p害中國(guó)人民的權(quán)益。美國(guó)政府根據(jù)這個(gè)關(guān)系法，繼續(xù)向臺(tái)灣出售武器和干涉中國(guó)內(nèi)政，阻撓臺(tái)灣與中國(guó)大陸的統(tǒng)一。

為解決美國(guó)售臺(tái)武器問(wèn)題，中美兩國(guó)政府通過(guò)談判，于1982年8月17日達(dá)成協(xié)議，發(fā)表了有關(guān)中美關(guān)系的第三個(gè)聯(lián)合公報(bào)，簡(jiǎn)稱“八·一七公報(bào)”。美國(guó)政府在公報(bào)中聲明：“它不尋求執(zhí)行一項(xiàng)長(zhǎng)期向臺(tái)灣出售武器的政策，它向臺(tái)灣出售的武器在性能和數(shù)量上將不超過(guò)中美建交后近幾年供應(yīng)的水平，它準(zhǔn)備逐步減少它對(duì)臺(tái)灣的武器出售，并經(jīng)過(guò)一段時(shí)間導(dǎo)致最后的解決?！比欢?，十多年來(lái)美國(guó)政府不但沒(méi)有認(rèn)真執(zhí)行公報(bào)的規(guī)定，而且不斷發(fā)生違反公報(bào)的行為。1992年9月，美國(guó)政府甚至決定向臺(tái)灣出售150架F-16型高性能戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)。美國(guó)政府的這一行動(dòng)，給中美關(guān)系的發(fā)展和臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題的解決增加了新的障礙和阻力。

由上可見(jiàn)，臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題直到現(xiàn)在還未得到解決，美國(guó)政府是有責(zé)任的。上世紀(jì)自70年代以來(lái)，美國(guó)朝野許多有識(shí)之士和友好人士，曾經(jīng)為促使中美之間在臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題上的分歧的解決做了大量有益的工作，上述三個(gè)聯(lián)合公報(bào)就包含著他們的努力和貢獻(xiàn)。中國(guó)政府和人民對(duì)此十分贊賞。然而也不能不看到，美國(guó)確也有人至今仍不愿看到中國(guó)的統(tǒng)一，制造種種藉口，施加種種影響，阻撓臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題的解決。

中國(guó)政府相信，美國(guó)人民與中國(guó)人民是友好的。兩國(guó)關(guān)系的正常發(fā)展，是符合兩國(guó)人民的長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)利益和共同愿望的。中美兩國(guó)都應(yīng)珍視來(lái)之不易的指導(dǎo)兩國(guó)關(guān)系發(fā)展的三個(gè)聯(lián)合公報(bào)。只要雙方都能恪守三個(gè)公報(bào)的原則，相互尊重，以大局為重，歷史遺留下來(lái)的臺(tái)灣問(wèn)題就不難得到解決，中美關(guān)系就一定能不斷獲得改善和發(fā)展。

HISTORY OF THE TAIWAN ISSUE

Taiwan Is an Inseparable Part of Chinese Territory

Taiwan has a written history which can be traced back to the third century. In 230 A.D., during the Three Kingdoms period, the King of Wu, Sun Quan,dispatched an army of 10,000 men to “Yizhou”(Taiwan), which was recorded by Shen Ying of Wu in Coastal Waters – the world’s earliest written record of Taiwan. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Taiwan was known as “Liuqiu,” and armies were dispatched to the island on three separate occasions during the Sui Dynasty. Beginning in 610 A.D., residents along the coast of mainland China began to migrate to the Penghu Islands. In the middle of the twelfth century,the Southern Song Dynasty placed the Penghu Islands under the jurisdiction of Jinjiang County, Quanzhou,Fujian, and dispatched troops to defend them. The Yuan Dynasty established an Inspection Division on the Penghu Islands and exercised effective control over them. During the Song Dynasty, Han Chinese began to migrate to Taiwan and develop land for farming.During the Ming Dynasty greater numbers of mainland coastal inhabitants moved to Taiwan and the island became increasingly developed. In the latter half of the sixteenth century, the Ming Dynasty revived the Penghu Inspection Division and increased the number of troops stationed there to defend it. Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, the local government in Fujian and the Zheng Zhilong group organized for migrants to move to Taiwan and cultivate the land on a greater scale. In 1622, Dutch colonists seized the southern part of Taiwan. Spanish colonists then arrived in 1624 and seized the northern part of Taiwan, only to be replaced by the Dutch in 1642. In 1661, Zheng Chenggong commanded his army to make their way to Taiwan, drove the Dutch colonists from the island, and recaptured it. In 1683, the Qing government sent troops to attack and seize the Penghu Islands, which resulted in the surrender of the Zheng Shi group and national uni fi cation. In 1684, the Qing government established a Taiwan government subordinate to Fujian Province and established a military force in Taiwan to patrol Taiwan and Xiamen which had jurisdiction over the defensive forces of both Taiwan and Xiamen. Afterwards,mainland coastal inhabitants moved to Taiwan in great numbers and Taiwan entered a new historical period.By 1811, Taiwan’s population exceeded 1.9 million.In 1874, due to the slaughter of boat people from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan annexed the islands and dispatched troops to Taiwan. The Qing government recruited migrants from the mainland to further open up and develop Taiwan and shore up coastal defenses,and at the same time, instructed the governor of Fujian to station troops on Taiwan every year from winter to spring. During the Sino-French War of 1884 and 1885, the Taiwan army, led by Liu Mingchuan of the Fujian Inspection Division, fought off the French forces. On October 12, 1885, the Qing government declared the establishment of Taiwan province, making Taiwan China’s twentieth province. The fi rst governor of Taiwan, Liu Mingchuan, actively promoted selfreliance in the new government and made Taiwan one of China’s most advanced provinces at that time.

In 1894, Japan initiated the Sino-Japanese Warin which the Qing government were defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, surrendering China’s sovereign rights under humiliating terms,including ceding Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to the Japanese. In the early stages of Japanese occupation,the people of Taiwan continued their arm struggle for almost 20 years and afterwards launched an unarmed national resistance movement. In 1937, Japan began its full war of aggression against China, and intensi fi ed its efforts to plunder Taiwan’s resources. At the same time, it coercively carried out the Kominka Movement,which sought to eliminate the Taiwanese people’s sense of identity with the Chinese. However, this was met with an intense reaction and strong resistance from the Taiwanese people. The Japanese illegally occupied Taiwan for 50 years. During that time, 650,000 Taiwanese people were murdered. The history of our Taiwanese compatriots’ resistance against the rule of Japanese colonists illuminates the great spirit of the Chinese nation in withstanding foreign aggression.

In December 1941, the Pacific War broke out.On December 9, the Chinese government issued a declaration of war against Japan, which solemnly announced the Chinese government’s intention to recover Taiwan and the Penghu Islands. On December 1, 1943, China, the United States and Britain signed the Cairo Declaration which clearly specified “It is [our] purpose… that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa[Taiwan], and the Pescadores [Penghu Islands], shall be restored to the Republic of China.” On July 26,1945, China, the United States and Britain signed the Potsdam Proclamation, which was later signed by the Soviet Union. The Potsdam Proclamation affirmed that “the conditions of the Cairo Declaration must be implemented.” On August 15, 1945, the Japanese government announced its unconditional surrender,and on October 25, a ceremony was held in Taiwan attended by the allied nations involved in the Chinese theatre of war to formally accept Japan’s surrender. The Chinese official who accepted Japan’s surrender on behalf of the Chinese government made the following declaration: “From this day forth, the islands of Taiwan and Penghu are once again of fi cial territories of China,and all their land, people, and government affairs come under Chinese sovereignty.” To commemorate Taiwan’s restoration, October 25 was named Taiwan’s Restoration Day.

History of the Taiwan Issue

After the Second World War, Taiwan returned to China not only in law but in fact. The emergence of the Taiwan issue was not only due to the anti-popular civil war initiated by the Kuomintang but, more importantly,the interference of foreign powers.

The Taiwan Issue and the Civil War Initiated by the Kuomintang

During China’s War of Resistance against Japan,under the impetus of the Communist Party of China and other patriotic forces, the Chinese Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China established the anti-Japanese national united front to fight Japanese imperialist aggression. After they had achieved victory in the War of Resistance against Japan, the two parties continued their cooperation and worked together for the great cause of rejuvenating China. However, the Kuomintang, led by Chiang Kai-Shek, enlisted the support of the US and, with complete disregard for the people of China who yearned for peace and who had an intense desire to establish an independent, democratic,rich and powerful new China, tore up the October 10th Agreement signed by both parties and began the nationwide anti-popular civil war. The Chinese people were left with no option but to engage, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, in the People’s Liberation War, which lasted for over three years, and due to the Kuomintang’s retroaction at that time, which had already been severely renounced by the people of the entire country, the Chinese people fi nallyoverthrew the government of the Republic of China in Nanjing. On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was established, and the government of the PRC became China’s sole legal government, with members of the Kuomintang government and army fleeing to Taiwan. Supported by the US government at that time,this resulted in a state of cross-Straits isolation.

US Government’s Responsibility for the Taiwan Issue

After the Second World War, as the two great camps of East and West faced off, based on its global strategy and in order to protect its own interests, the US government spared no effort in supporting the Kuomintang in the civil war, providing money, guns and personnel in an attempt to thwart the Chinese people’s revolution. Despite this, in the end, the US government was unable to achieve the objective it had hoped for. Neither the White Paper on United States’ Relations with China issued by the US State Department in 1949 nor the letter from Secretary of State Dean Acheson to President Truman could help but acknowledge this fact. In his letter to the President,Acheson wrote, “The unfortunate but inescapable fact is that the ominous result of the civil war in China was beyond the control of the government of the United States. Nothing that this country did or could have done within the reasonable limits of its capabilities could have changed that result; nothing that was left undone by this country has contributed to it. It was the product of internal Chinese forces, forces which this country tried to in fl uence but could not.”

Following the birth of the People’s Republic of China, the US government could have extricated itself from the quagmire of the Chinese civil war. It did not do so however. Instead, it adopted isolationist and containment policies against New China and, following the outbreak of the Korean War, it undertook armed intervention in China’s domestic affairs—cross-Straits relations. On June 27, 1950, US President Truman issued a statement announcing, “I have already ordered the 7th Fleet to prevent any attack on Taiwan.” The US 7th Fleet then entered the Taiwan Straits, while the 12th Air Force positioned itself on Taiwan. In December 1954, the US signed the Joint Defense Treaty with the Taiwan authorities, thereby placing the Chinese province of Taiwan under US protection. The US government persisted with their misguided policies which meddled in China’s domestic affairs, which created a tense, long-term stand off in the Taiwan Straits. Since then, the Taiwan issue has become a major point of contention between the US and China.

In order to ease the tense situation in the Taiwan Straits and in an attempt to find a channel through which the US and China could resolve their dispute,the Chinese government opened dialogue with the US beginning in the 1950s. Between August 1955 and February 1970, China and the US held 136 talks at ambassadorial level, but both sides failed to make any progress on the key matter of easing and eliminating the tense situation in the Taiwan Straits. At the end of the 1960s and the start of the 1970s, as changes took place in the international situation and China grew in strength, the US began to adjust its policies towards China, and relations between the two countries gradually thawed. In October 1971, the 26th United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 2758,which restored the People’s Republic of China’s legal rights in the United Nations and expelled the Taiwan authorities’ representative. In February 1972, US President Nixon visited China, at which time both sides issued the Joint Communiqué. The communiqué stated,“The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.”

In December 1978, the US government accepted the three principles for establishing diplomatic relations proposed by the Chinese government: the US must cease diplomatic relations with the Taiwan authorities,cancel the Joint Defense Treaty and withdraw troops from Taiwan. China and the US officially established diplomatic relations on January 1, 1979. The Sino-American Joint Communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations declared, “The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan…The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.” At this time Sino-US relations were normalized.

Unfortunately, within three months of establishing diplomatic relations, the US Congress unexpectedly passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which was ratified with the signature of the President. The Taiwan Relations Act, which used US domestic legislation,contained a number of regulations that contravened the Sino-US Joint Communiqué and international laws and regulations, and which seriously damaged the rights and interests of the Chinese people. On the basis of the Taiwan Relations Act, the US government continued to sell arms to Taiwan and interfere in China’s domestic affairs, thereby hindering the uni fi cation of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.

In order to resolve the issue of the US selling arms to Taiwan, following discussions, the Chinese and US governments reached an agreement on August 17, 1982, and issued their third Joint Communiqué:the August 17th Communiqué. In the communiqué,the US government declared, “The United States Government states that it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, that its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution.” Nevertheless, over the following 10 years,the US government not only failed to implement the regulations in the Joint Communiqué, but constantly broke the terms of it. In September 1992, the US government even sold 150 F-16 fi ghter jets to Taiwan.This action by the US government increased the barriers and resistance to developing Sino-US relations and resolving the Taiwan issue.

From the above it is clear that the Taiwan issue has not yet been resolved and that the US government bears some responsibility for this. Since the 1970s, many friendly people in government and among the public with breadth of vision in the US have done a great deal of bene fi cial work to urge China and the United States to resolve their differences over the Taiwan issue, and the three Joint Communiqués encapsulate their hard work and contributions. The Chinese government and people are very appreciative of this. However, it is impossible to neglect the fact that the US also contains people who, even today, do not wish to see a unified China, and who make up various excuses and exert their influence to hinder the resolution of the Taiwan issue.

The Chinese government believes that the US people and Chinese people are friends. The normal development of relations between our two countries accords with the long-term interests and common aspirations of our two peoples. Both China and the US should value highly the hard-won three Joint Communiqués which guide the development of Sino-US relations. As long as both sides can scrupulously abide by the principles of the three communiqués,respect each other and focus on the major issues, it will not be dif fi cult to resolve the lingering historical issue of Taiwan, and Sino-US relations will, without doubt,constantly improve and develop.